Here In Spirit: A Shooting Star Falls Story
by iKnowLotsOfThings
Summary: New mother Wendy Pines decides to introduce her dual bundles of joy to a few family members who are no longer with her a little over two months after their birth. Will she be able to handle the emotional day that lays ahead for her on a sunny July morning in Gravity Falls, Oregon?


**Here In Spirit: A Shooting Star Falls Story**

The alarm on the phone of Wendy Pines tore through the previous silence that had inhabited the master bedroom of the two story log cabin. The redhead rolled over and opened her eyes as she spied the source of the annoyance on the nightstand beside the king sized bed she occupied. Out on maternity leave, the young mother would normally not have set an alarm, but today was a special day. In a crib across the room from her, Mabel and Pacifica remained asleep, much to the ginger woman's surprise. "Well, I'll be damned… You two actually made it through the night for once…" Wendy mused to herself as she flung the comforter off of her and sat up in the bed. Absent from the room was her husband Dipper, who had left to film the pilot for his web series about unexplained phenomena the previous day. "God, I miss that dork so much…" she thought to herself as she leaned over and caught the scent of her husband that still lingered on his pillow. In all honesty, since the two had started dating nearly three years ago, the duo had rarely spent the night apart from one another. She recalled how the brown haired man had been hesitant about leaving his wife and twin daughters so soon after their birth. As much as she longed for his presence, the auburn haired woman knew that this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Dipper, Lee, Nate and a now pregnant Tambry departed for a small town in Northern Mexico where the famed Chupacabra was said to have roamed. Wendy would eventually join her husband on such quests as his co-host once the girls were a bit older, but for now she had a much more important role she was cast in; that of a mother.

After catching a quick shower, the ginger woman returned to the bedroom to find her daughters still asleep. Wendy wasn't quite sure if it was just because of the convenience of them, or if her fashion choices had evolved, but she found herself wearing more and more dresses as opposed to the t-shirts and jeans she previously wore. Much to her relief and perhaps because of her extensive workout regime, the twenty-three year old woman's post-pregnancy body was quickly returning to its previous shape; the new mother staring at her once again slender form in the full length mirror on her closet door. Selecting a white sundress with a pink floral print, Wendy began to get dressed. After waking, feeding and changing the girls, she was ready to head out with her dual bundles of joy. While realizing how much more difficult it was to travel with the girls without her husband's help, the determined woman was not going to be stopped from keeping her plans for the day. After securing the twins in their car seats, loading up their stroller and bringing out their bag, she was finally ready to begin her day. The onyx colored sport utility vehicle navigated the twists and turns of the two lane road that cut through the dense forest of small Pacific Northwest town. After driving through Downtown Gravity Falls, Wendy once again headed towards the outskirts of the town, where her destination lie.

Driving under a stone and wrought iron arch, she parked the truck in a large paved parking lot at the base of a hill. It took only moments for the dress clad mother of two to get her daughters situated in their stroller thanks to lots of pre-birth preparation that involved the use of dolls as stand-ins for the then unborn girls. The sun had risen less than two hours previous on the early July day and a slight breeze blew through the air. Wendy had planned to arrive early, as she did not want to cut her visit short on account of being unable to stand the ever increasing heat the summer day promised. Leaving the stone path, the rubber-lined wheels of the stroller entered the soft grass of the knoll; Wendy having to put a little more effort into pushing it up the terrain. The slight hill had flattened out a bit at its summit and a now familiar landmark indicated she had arrived. Putting the safety brake the stroller, she walked forward and placed her petite hand on the cool granite of the tombstone; feelings rushing back to ginger woman. "Hey Mom…" the twenty-three year old said as she took a knee and kissed the etched image of her late mother's smiling face on the monument. "I'd like to introduce you to your Granddaughters…" the young woman said as she stood up and turned to her infant daughters, who had awoken from their nap. A quartet of tiny hazel eyes met her emerald ones and a soft smile formed on the freckled face of Wendy Pines. Unbuckling them from the stroller, she lifted the onesie clad children and held them in her arms. "This is Pacifica Kathleen… She's the older of the two by four minutes…" the new mother began as she pecked the squirming girl on her forehead. "And this is Mabel Elise… She's the younger one… She's got our hair…" the auburn maned woman chuckled as she kissed her other daughter. Wendy lay down a blanket and proceeded to speak to her late mother for the better part of an hour.

"Well Mom, it's been real… But I gotta make a few more stops before it gets too hot out for these two…" the redhead said as she motioned to the twin girls who rest on the soft cotton blanket. "I promise we'll be back soon… I love ya Mom…" the young woman said as she stood up and once again placed her hand on the cool stone marker. After packing up, she began the short walk to her next destination in the Gravity Falls Cemetery. The unmistakable pink tombstone of the late Mabel Pines glistened in the sunlight of the late morning. "Girls… I'd like you to meet your Aunt Mabel…" Wendy began as her emerald eyes filled up with tears. The flowers that she and her husband had brought to mark the date of her passing remained at the base of the monument, although nearly dead from the ever warming summer heat. "Mabel… These are your nieces… Pacifica Kathleen… And Mabel Elise… I hope you don't mind, but I named one of them after you… You were the sister I never had… I-I miss you every day, girl" the ginger woman said as she traced the name of the fallen Pines twin with her index finger. Almost as if on instinct, Mabel Elise began to let out her soft cry and the young mother turned her attention away from the pink hued stone. "I know baby girl… I know…" she said in a soft tone of voice as she unbuckled the fussy infant from the stroller and picked her up; rocking the red haired baby in her arms. Holding her eye level with the etched image of the smiling teenage girl, the crying began to subside and the two month old held out her tiny hand towards the marker. "That's your Aunt Mabel… I named you after her because I think you're gonna be just as wonderful a person as she was… Pretty, Smart… W-With a heart of pure gold…" Wendy said as she began to break down. The young mother put her daughter back into the stroller and bid farewell to her sister-in-law; wiping the tears from her eyes.

One more stop was on the itinerary for the fiery maned woman and her twin daughters before they would return to the comfort of their home in the woods. Soon finding herself among a collection of grandiose monuments, Wendy knew she had arrived at her final destination. Among the elaborate tombstones lay the rather modest black granite marker she sought out. "Pacifica Elise Northwest May 26th, 1999 – June 3rd, 2016 Beloved Daughter and Friend To All. Taken From Us Far Too Soon" it read in a golden text. On what would have been Pacifica's seventeenth birthday, Dipper and the Northwest family had crossed each other paths at the grave of the blonde heiress. Deciding that their past disagreements were behind them, Dipper decided to state his case for some sort of passage on the otherwise nondescript monument and much to his surprise, Preston and Priscilla agreed; the two sentence inscription added shortly thereafter. A smile formed on the face of the freckled mother as she approached the final resting place of the teenage girl. "Hey Pacifica… It's Wendy… I-I wanted to introduce you to some special people. This little one is Mabel Elise…" the redhead said as she pointed to the slumbering pink onesie clad infant. "And I'm proud to have you meet Pacifica Kathleen. Look… I know that we were never the best of friends or anything… But I did care about you. You meant a lot more to me than you think and I know that you were Dipper's whole world. So, while you're technically not an Aunt… You totally are in my book. These are your nieces and I know that they would have loved to have met you…" the new mother said as her emerald eyes once again filled with tears.

After collecting herself, Wendy Pines bid farewell to the late blonde heiress and began her trek back to the parking lot of the cemetery. She had known that the day would be full of emotion, but still didn't feel quite prepared for just how heavy the mood had become. Inside the stone walls of the memorial park lie three souls that she longed to see once more. Not only because she missed them herself, but because she wanted them to meet her daughters. A mother, a sister and a friend would never get to see the twin girls grow up; forever to be only spectators of life as it carried on for the young woman. Still, at the same time, she felt as if they were never closer to her. Their physical forms may have been lost long ago, but their spirit walked stride for stride with Wendy Pines through every moment of her life and for that she was grateful on a sunny summer morning in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

 **Author's Note** : So, I know this was another short story compared to some of my others, but I had this in mind for quite a while. I hope that you enjoy and as always I look forward to your reviews. Be sure to check out my other stories, particularly if you're a fan of Star Vs The Forces Of Evil. Also, I've been overwhelmed by the response by some of you for suggestions for one-shots to fill in the storyline between Wendy & Dipper Vs The Future and my next story, which will be set fifteen years in the future. If you have any more, feel free to PM me with them. What will the future hold for Mabel Elise and Pacifica Kathleen in the weirdness of Gravity Falls, Oregon?

 **My Playlist for this story** :

Lord Huron – "Night We Met (Rachel Hardy Cover)" (The song that inspired this whole story. Just sets the whole mood for the story. Especially the line of 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you… Take me back to the night we met…' which describes Wendy's desire to once again see those she's lost and share her life with them. BTW If you watch it on YouTube, Rachel's look is almost exactly how I picture Wendy looking in the Shooting Star Falls AU)

The Offspring – "Can't Repeat" (Another song about how life keeps moving on whether we want it to or not… Plus the kind of music that Wendy digs in my AU…)

Jim James – "Here In Spirit" (The song I borrowed the name from for this story)

 **Shooting Star Falls AU Reading Order** :

Underage Discoveries On A Reckless Night: A Shooting Star Falls Prequel

A Shooting Star Falls

Echoes Of A Nearby Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story

The Dark Days of Candy Chiu: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Forever Memories: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Stable Times Or A Wild Ride?: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Grenda's Confession: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Birthday Weirdness In The Rose City: A Shooting Star Falls Story

The Gift Of Forever: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Wendy & Dipper Vs The Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Here In Spirit: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Life In Transit: A Shooting Star Falls Story


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